The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the alleged sexual assault of two four-year-old children at a private school in Badlapur, Mumbai Metropolitan Region, has included the school management in the FIR for not reporting the incident as required under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The assaults, allegedly committed by a member of the school’s cleaning staff on August 12 and 13, were reported by one of the victims’ parents to the school, but the authorities failed to notify the police.
Consequently, the FIR was only filed on August 16, leading to the arrest of the accused on August 17. The Bombay High Court, which took suo motu cognizance of the case, highlighted the school’s failure to fulfill its legal obligation to report the crime. Section 21 of the POCSO Act, which mandates punishment for failing to report such offences, was added to the FIR against the school authorities. The POCSO Act emphasizes the protection of children and mandates that any suspected abuse must be reported to the authorities, underlining the importance of timely action in safeguarding children’s rights.
